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Philly: Not Just An Escape From New York

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Philadelphia is better than New York, at least that’s what many Manhattan and Brooklyn transplants have been saying for years. Though Philadelphia was dubbed the “Sixth Borough” in the mid-2000s, some of the migration is actually a return trip home. Young, homesick former Philadelphians who moved away to New York, Boston or Los Angeles come back to Philly, bringing their optimism and new skills with them. Their renewed energy has transformed Philly neighborhoods like Fishtown, Germantown, East Passyunk, and Northern Liberties into vibrant communities.

Over the last year, there has been an abundance of positive news for a place not always accustomed to receiving it. Pope Francis is coming in September, and Philadelphia will host the Democratic National Convention in summer 2016. Comcast Corp. is building a second office tower that will be the city's tallest - and is expanding its local workforce. Builders and developers are investing heavily in University City and Market East. And the residential construction boom continued: Last year, the city issued building permits for nearly 4,000 units with an estimated value of $879 million.

New public spaces, including the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk and Dilworth Park, have opened. Philadelphia has received top marks for dining and tourism from various publications and rating services, and Forbes chose the city as the permanent home of its annual "30 Under 30" gathering of young entrepreneurs. The city population rose for the eighth year in a row, a development that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, and Philadelphia is home to a large and growing cohort of millennials.

All of this energy has not been lost on residents. The mood of the city, as measured by the 2015 Pew Philadelphia Poll, is the most optimistic it has been in the six years of Pew's polling. More than in past surveys, residents say the city is headed in the right direction, will get better, and is worth recommending as a place to live. Perhaps the most promising finding of all is that young adults, who have helped fuel the population growth, are more inclined to stay in the city long term.

After years grinding away in cities where buying a home would be nearly impossible, returning to a city without the big price tag makes perfect sense to this prodigal populace. Philadelphia is a sprawling metropolis with an approachable sensibility that feels right at home for recovering New Yorkers. The dynamic, versatile city is a great place to find a partner, settle down, have children and enjoy big city perks. The city’s highlights include 10,334 acres of parkland, 200 diverse neighborhoods, and 80 colleges, trade schools and universities. And as the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the country, the City of Brotherly Love is no sleepy, small town. If you move back, don’t call it New York’s Sixth Borough; just call it home. We do!

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